Super Typhoon Ragasa Latest: At least 14 people have died in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County after a barrier lake overflowed, sending a powerful surge of water into Guangfu township as Typhoon Ragasa lashed the region. The disaster began Tuesday afternoon when the lake – formed by landslides following days of relentless rain – burst its banks.
Government officials said roughly 60% of the town’s 8,500 residents carried out a “vertical evacuation,” sheltering on the upper floors of their homes, while most of the remaining residents sought refuge with relatives.
Authorities reported that the lake held nearly 91 million tonnes of water, the equivalent of about 36,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. When it overflowed, around 60 million tonnes of water surged downstream, according to officials cited by Reuters.
Taiwan’s fire department said Wednesday that 124 people remain unaccounted for across Hualien County, the hardest-hit area on the island’s east coast.
Super Typhoon Ragasa’s outer bands have pounded Taiwan since Monday, bringing heavy rainfall and destructive winds. Hualien alone recorded about 70 centimeters (28 inches) of rain. The storm’s intensity recalled memories of Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which killed nearly 700 people and caused an estimated \$3 billion in damage.
As Ragasa moves west-northwest across the northern South China Sea at about 22 kph, southern China is preparing for what could be one of the strongest storms in years. The typhoon is carrying maximum sustained winds near 195 kph, Hong Kong’s observatory reported.
More than one million residents in China’s Guangdong province have already been relocated, according to the province’s Department of Emergency Management. Schools and businesses across southern Chinese cities have closed, flights have been cancelled, and daily life scaled back in anticipation of the storm’s arrival.
Ahead of Ragasa’s approach, residents in flood-prone areas fortified homes with sandbags and barriers, and taped windows to prevent shattering. Many stocked up on food and essentials, with market vendors reporting a sharp rise in sales as supplies dwindled.
In Hong Kong, locals gathered along the waterfront to watch waves reach heights of 2 to 3 meters (6.5 to 9.8 feet). Authorities rescued three people, including a child, from the sea as police monitored the rising waters.
China’s National Meteorological Center predicts that Ragasa will make landfall between Taishan and Zhanjiang cities in Guangdong province between midday and evening on Wednesday. Heavy rain is expected across Guangdong and neighboring Fujian province.
Officials warned that water levels could approach those seen during Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, which caused direct economic losses of more than HK$1 billion ($154 million) and HK$4.6 billion, respectively.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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